Check out our complete set of Kindergarten Homework Packets. You may purchase each separately for $4.00. But, we have packaged all 15 together for $45.00, saving you $15.00. Below are the monthly packet contents and links to the individual previews.

This weekend I started reading the book, “Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education” by Elena Bodrova And Deborah J. Leong. Lev Vygotsky was a genius Russian psychologist who studied cognitive development despite the difficulty of being a Jew in Russia, and the pressure to conform to the ideas dictated by the Russian government. Because his ideas were buried in communist Russia, it was only in the 70's that we in the west were first able to access and use the theories he developed.

I already knew (and love) the theories of Vygotsky, but it was only by reading this book that I realized the impact that he’s had on education. Before we knew what Vygotsky had discovered about the way children learn, classrooms all looked like the one pictured above. Teachers lectured. Students worked independently. This was because back then, we believed learning to be an entirely internal process. Then Vygotsky came along and we discovered that learning happens in a social context, and language is the key to developing mature mental processes.

And that is why my classroom is so noisy. And that is why it's okay. Because research has shown that language is a key element in a child’s learning. There are times when it is important to listen. Children need to learn when and how to attend to information and how to show respect to a speaker. But children also need to be able to have shared experiences with language in order to build their mental processes. Learning cannot happen in silence. Learning needs conversation, so, a noisy classroom is a learning classroom.

Today we focused on Reading Strategy #2, point at the word your voice is saying. We placed a small ladybug sticker on our pointer and taught him how to fly from word to word. Check out our reading strategy posters. They are great for reinforcing early reading strategies.

This book, “Common Core Curriculum Maps in English Language Grades K-5,” is a terrific guide when implementing the common core standards!

As every kindergarten teacher knows, kindergartners enter school with an extreme range of knowledge. The Common Core Standards have been developed to assist teachers to better meet the needs of this diverse range. This book takes those standards and provides a pacing guide that guides instruction in phonological, phonics, print awareness, fluency, etc.

Unit 1: A Colorful Time with Rhythm and Rhyme focuses on the first six weeks of kindergarten when students should be introduced to colorful picture books, traditional poetry, playful songs, and rhythmic nursery rhymes.

We have developed two beginning of the year units to compliment this unit of color and rhyme. Check them out at our online store. You will quickly be on your way to building early readers!

Approximately 25 million students across the United States ride the bus to school every day. With so many students depending on the school bus for transportation, it is important to review bus safety rules on a yearly basis.

In order to address bus safety as efficiently as possible, I post a bus safety bulletin board in my classroom. I can easily go over each rule as I have time...one or two at a time or all points at the same time. We discuss the rules, define words, and even act out some of the rules as time permits.

While learning about bus safety, I include a few school bus activities to add interest and address some important kindergarten skills. I’ve combined many of these activities into a mini-unit called The School Bus. The unit includes an alphabet and a number game, a guided reader, a writing page, a bus construct, a song poster, and a poster with bus safety rules. Check it out at our online store!